#wildlife

#wildlife

Oxytocin AKA The Love Hormone Makes Lions Mellow and FriendlyLions have long been known as the "King of the Jungle", because of their strength, power, and fierceness. Researchers working on a wildlife reserve in Dinokeng, South Africa, however, discovered that an intranasal administration of oxytocin, the "love hormone" might make lion encounters less dangerous. Their findings were published in the journal iScience on March 30.The author, Jessica Burkhart, said that by spraying the oxytocin up the lion's nose, it can travel to the trigeminal and olfactory nerves straight to the brain. Burkhart and her colleagues found that the 23 lions administered oxytocin were more tolerant of other lions in their habitat and demonstrated less alertness towards intruders after these treatments. This gives some people look hope that through Science, they might finally be able to pet lions in the future.Image credit: Jessica Burkhart#Lions #Animals #Wildlife #Oxytocin #Science

Check Out These Highly Commended Photos From The 2021 Wildlife Photographer of the Year CompetitionThe Natural History Museum in London, England, is no stranger when it comes to reviewing thousands of photo submissions for their annual international Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition. However, this year saw a record-breaking number of photographs submitted to the contest. This year, anonymous industry experts reviewed over 50,000 entries from photographers in 95 countries. Now that's a lot!“It was the overall quality of entries that took us by surprise. With most travel plans cancelled over the past year, photographers seem to have spent extra time considering what gems to submit,” says Roz Kidman Coz, chair of the judging panel and former BBC Wildlife editor.“There are stand-out pictures of unforgettable scenes and encounters – those unique wild moments, skillfully framed, that result from knowledge, experience and planning – but also fresh, beautiful observations of nature close to home or in close-up. The result is a collection of both thought-provoking images and ones that, in these dark times, remind us of the joy and wonder to be had from nature.”While the winning images are yet to be announced on October 12, 2021, here are some highly commended images from the competition. The stories behind the stunning photos are told over at BBC Wildlife. Why don't you have a look?(Image Credit: The great swim by Buddhilini de Soyza (Sri Lanka/Australia)/Wildlife Photographer of the Year)#Wildlife #Photography #WildlifePhotographerOfTheYear #NaturalHistoryMuseum

Aerial Fish Stocking: Utah Restocked Lakes by Dropping Thousands of Fish From an AirplaneIn the early days, the state of Utah used to stock lakes with fish by hauling small fish in metal milk cans on horseback, then by off-road vehicles and trucks.

"Keep Calm, Alessandro": Brown Bear Stalks Boy Walking Down a HillWhen he came face-to-face with a brown bear in the hills of Brenta Dolomites, northern Italy, 12-year-old Alessandro didn't scream or panic. Instead, he said "make the video" and walked calmly down.The bear stalked the boy as he walked slowly down the hill, as the man taking the mobile phone video said, "keep calm, Ale" (Ale is the diminutive of Alessandro).When interviewed by l'Adige, Alessandro said "I had seen the bear three times, it was a special day for me." Fear? "No."#bear #italy #wildlife #animalbehaviorThe full video clip below: